Dana and Rufus

Starting in 'The Fight,' Rufus does many things, such as systematically raping Alice, that we modern people would consider despicable. Dana thinks similarly to us, but she cannot completely hate him for his actions. Dana's relationship to Rufus is complex - she is his descendant and is also somewhat of a mother figure to him, yet Rufus does not consider her an equal because of her skin color. This problem only grows as the novel progresses and Rufus gets older and more tainted by the norms of his time. 

It seems that Dana is not able to completely understand that Rufus is unable to see her as an equal, even if she is from the future and repeatedly saved his life. Dana continues to trust him, saying that he wouldn't do such and such things, yet when it comes down to it he betrays her trust. When these moments happen, Dana's attitude towards Rufus is like a mother toward her child - chiding and disappointed. For instance, when Dana confronts Rufus about not mailing out the letters, she asks him why, and forgives him yet again upon realizing how much he confides in her and needs her. 

However, as Rufus grows up, his attitude towards her gets increasingly worse. Blackmailing her to convince her to send Alice to him to get raped, ordering her around like a slave, and sending her to the fields as punishment for not saving his father. And Dana starts to realize that Rufus is a product of his environment. He was raised being taught that whites were better than blacks, and that blacks were essentially sub-human -- they were tools. Although Rufus is slightly detached from his time for 'loving' a black woman and 'doting' on their children, he still is very much a privileged white man who is used to getting what he wants. When he doesn't get what he wants, the punishment is harsh. It gets bad enough that Dana harms herself to go back to her own time. 

I have a feeling that Dana and Rufus' relationship is going to continue going downhill. Although I doubt that it will get to a point like Rufus and Alice's relationship as Dana cares for Rufus like a mother would and Rufus has some semblance of the emotion of a son towards a parent, after Rufus hits Dana at the end of 'The Storm,' a link of trust between them is severed, and it would be difficult to repair. Thoughts?